Thousands stranded in 'appalling' conditions on Italian island

Thousands stranded in 'appalling' conditions on Italian island

By agency reporter

31 Mar 2011

Thousands of people, many of whom left North Africa following recent unrest, are stranded on the Italian island of Lampedusa in appalling conditions, an Amnesty International delegation on the island said today.

There are currently about 6,000 foreign nationals on the island, mostly from Tunisia.

Anneliese Baldaccini, one of Amnesty International’s delegates on the island, said: “The Italian government must immediately deal with this humanitarian crisis that has been caused by its failure to organise timely and orderly transfers from Lampedusa to facilities on the Italian mainland.

"All those arriving in Italy must have their individual needs adequately assessed and be given access to fair and effective asylum procedures, something that is not possible because of the chaotic situation in Lampedusa.

"The Italian authorities should also not assume that people arriving in Lampedusa are economic migrants."

She continued: "The Italian authorities must live up to their human rights obligations. This means tending to people’s immediate needs and halting any plans to carry out collective removals.”

About 22,000 people have arrived in Lampedusa in recent weeks, with many already having been moved to other parts of Italy.

Many on Lampedusa have not been provided with the most basic humanitarian assistance such as shelter, medical care, mats, blankets and access to sanitary facilities, the Amnesty International team has found, while thousands continue to sleep outdoors.